Multiple batting tee



June 30, 1964 1 A, LANDE 3,139,282

MULTIPLE BATTING TEE Filed Nov. 20, 1962 E0/V A. LA/VDE United StatesPatent Oliice lil Patented' June 30, 1964 3,139,282 MULTIPLE BATTHNG TEELeon A. Lande, 1654 Riverbank, Lincoln Park, Mich. Filed Nov. Ztl, 1962,Ser. No. 239,408 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-26) This invention relates generallyto practice batting tees, and more particularly to a novel and improvedbatting practice tee provided with a plurality of batting tees for usein supporting a plurality of baseballs for developing, correcting andstudying the basic fundamentals of hitting.

My philosophy of hitting is based on a premise made by Babe Ruth thatthe area which is found by first grasping the bat on the barrel end withone hand and the area which is covered by grasping the bat adjacent theiirst hand by the second hand is the home run hitting area of the bat.It has been found that this area covers approximately four inches andtherefore I have called it the four inch wood. This four inch wood isthen, if re-stated, that portion of the bat between four inches from theouter or barrel end of the bat and eight inches from the barrel end ofthe bat. My philosophy further involves using the same stance, stride,swing and wrist action on all pitches as much as possible. The onlychange made, of any consequence, that is in order so that the four inchwood should make contact on every ball hit, is the hip rotation.

In hitting the ball when placed on the outside area of the plate it isrecommended that an outward rotation of the hips be used; an inwardrotation on the ball positioned on the inner area of the plate; andother degrees of variations on the balls placed between these twoextreme positions. The multiple tee of the present invention can beadjusted in such a manner that the contact position of the bat can bedetermined by the placement of the ball. This should give the hitter amental image of the bat-ball relationships over all parts of they basein the strike zone.

The factor of human error as well as insuiiicient power makes itrelatively diiiicult to hit a home run every time the four inch woodportion of the bat is applied to the ball. However, if the ball issquarely hit in this area or portion thereof, it is possible for allplayers to get more power and hence greater distance. Accordingly, it isa primary objectof the present invention to provide a novel and improvedmultiple batting tee apparatus which is adapted to aid in teaching aplayer the proper stance, swing, timing and wrist action for applyingsaid four inch wood area to a ball during a hitting or battingoperation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a multiplebatting tee apparatus which is adapted to serve as an instructionaldevice for coaches, playground and recreational leadersV and others forteaching the above mentioned baseball hitting fundamentals.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide amultiplel batting tee apparatus which is readily adaptable to outdoorand indoor use.

It is a further object of the present inventionlto provide a novel andimproved multiple batting tee apparatus which is portable, rugged andcompact in construction, light in weight, economical of manufacture, andwhich comprises a minimum of parts.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a noveland improved multiple batting tee apparatus which is capable ofsupporting a plurality of baseballs at various heights and positionsover a simulated home plate for teaching a batter the proper swing forhitting a ball at said various positions over the plate.

It is a further object of the present invention to` provide a novel andimproved multiple batting tee apparatus which is provided with aplurality of adjustable tees mounted on support brackets which make itpossible to adjust tees to any area on the base. This in turn means thata bm or balls can be placed on any part of the plate at any level in thestrike zone.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will beapparent from the following detailed description, appended claims,andthe accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. l is an elevational perspective lview of a multiple batting teemade in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the structure illustrated in FIG.l, taken along the line 2-2 thereof, looking in thev direction of thearrows and showing the tees 4in cross section; and,

' FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged elevational sectional View of thestructure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken along the line 3--3 thereof andvlooking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now tothe drawing and in particular to FIG. l, the practicebatting apparatus of the present invention comprises the base generallyindicated by the numeral l0. The base lll is 25" wide along the frontedge indicated by the numeral l1 and 81/2 long on each side indicated bythe numerals 12 and 13. The angular rear edges 14 and 15 are each 15%long. The base 10 may be constructed of any suitable material, as forexample laminated rubber. The base 10 is approximately one inch inoverall thickness and is provided with the centrally disposed metalplate 16 which extends through the entire plate. The layers of rubber 17and 18 would be fixedly secured to the metal plate 16 by any suitablemeans as by means of a suitable adhesive.

As shown in FIG. 2, an area on the base 10, generally indicated by thenumeral 19, is shaped like a home plate. This home plate area 19 isbounded by the front edge 11 of the base 10, the side lines marked bythe numerals 20 and 21, and the rear angular lines 22 and 23. The homeplate area 19 would be colored white and have dimensions equal to aconventional home plate. The outer or border area of the base 1t) aroundthe home plate area 19 would be colored black.

As shown in FIGS. l and 2, the multiple batting tee apparatus of thepresent invention includes a pair of adjustable tees generally indicatedby the numerals 2li and 25. The batting tee 24 will be described indetail and similar reference numerals followed' by the small letter awill be applied to the batting tee 2S. The batting tee 24 comprises theelongated support bracket 26 which is preferably made of metal and whichis provided with the` elongated, longitudinally extended slot 27. Thesupport bracket 26 isl adapted to be seated on the top surface of thebase 10 as shownr in FIG. 2 and to be adjustably secured in place bymeans of the boltZS and the wing nut 29. The bolt 28 is preferablyanchored in the base l0 at a point approximately 81/2" from the frontedge 11 of the plate 10 and approximately 2%" inwardly from the homeplate side line 21. The bolt 28 and wing nut 29 are merely illustrativeof one suitable means for securing the supporting bracket 26 to thebase 1) to permit adjustment of the bracket 26 over the home plate 19.It will be seen that by means of the releasable wing nut 29, themounting bracket 26 may be adjustably secured over various areas of thehome plate 19.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a metal tube 30 is fixedly secured to theouter end of the support bracket 26 by means of the bolt 31. The bolt 31extends upwardly through a suitable hole formed in the front end of thebracket 26 and is threadably engaged in the inner diameter of the metaltube 3l). Any other suitable fastening means may be used, if desired. Alirst rubber tube 33 is slidably mounted at the lower end thereof overthe metal tube 30. The rubber tube 33 is held in place on the tube 30 bya friction fit. The rubber tube 33 preferably has an outside diameter of21/2. 'Ihe tube 33 is approximately 18" in length. Slidably mounted inthe upper end of the rubber tube 33 is a second rubber tube 34. Thesecond rubber tube 34 is also approximately 18" in length. The secondrubber tube 34 would have an approximately outside diameter of 2?/16" soas'to be large enough to t snugly into the irst tube 33 so as to be heldin place by friction yet permit slidable adjustment of the second tube34 relative to the first tube 33. A third rubber tube 35 istelescopically mounted in the upper end of the second tube 34. The tubes34 and 35 are also made of a suitable rubber material. The third tube 35would be approximately 20" in length and have an outside diameter ofapproximately /8". The lower end of the third tube 35 would be slidablymounted in the tube 34 to provide a snug fit to hold the tubes inposition relative to each other by friction yet permit adjustment of thetubes relative to each other. The height of the aforedescribedtelescopic set of tubes when fully extended would be approximately 50inches plus the thickness of the supporting bracket 26 and the base 10,making a total height of approximately 52". As shown in FIG. 3, theupper end of the tube 35 would be ilared as indicated by the numeral 36to provide a suitable seat for the baseball 37.

The second batting tee 2S has been marked with the same referencenumerals followed by the small letter a and it will be seen that thisbatting tee is constructed identical to batting tee 24 with theexception that it is reversed so that the ball supporting tubes aredisposed at the rear end of the support bracket 26a. It will beunderstood that the aforecited dimensions of the various parts of thebatting tees of the present invention may be varied as desired, but thatthey are merely set forth to indicate one illustrative embodiment of theinvention.

In the use of the multiple. batting tee of the present invention, theplayer would assume the proper stance and distance from the plate 10 forall types of pitches in order to applyV the aforecited four inch woodportion of the bat to the balls 37 or 37a as selectively called for by abatting instructor. The batting tees 24 and 25 would be disposed atdifferent heights with the inside batting tee 25 being Adisposed lowerthan the outside batting tee 24 and in accordance with Whether thebatter is a right hand or left hand batter. The tees 24 and 2S areadjusted to the desired positions over the home plate 19, and the playerassumes the proper stance. The coach, or instructor, then calls insideor outside indicating the position of the ball which the batter shouldattempt to hit, as for example, the ball 37 or the ball 37a depending onwhether the batter is a left hand or right hand batter. If the hitterfocuses his eyes either on the ball 37 or the ball 37a, the coach cancall for the opposite ball to be h it. This will help prevent the playerfrom attempting to guess the coachs call.

It will be seen that the multiple batting tee of the present inventionhelps to show the player whether he is using the proper swing at theproper level and it helps in determining the exact time in which theplayers wrist should be snapped during a batting swing on all types ofpitches. The positions of the tees 24 and 25 can be adjusted so that thebatter can hit the balls over all parts of the home plate area 19. 'Thetees 24 and 25 are vertically adjustable to accommodate adults andchildren on both the high and low levels. The multiple batting teeapparatus of the present invention serves to develop a more effectivebatting swing by developing both strength and coordination, and it helpsto determine the proper hip rotation for both inside and outsidepitches. It also shows a hitter the proper bat angle, as well as thedistance in front of the body, to which the bat should be disposed tomake proper contact with the ball on both inside and outside pitches'.Actual experience has shown that the multiple batting tee of the presentinvention is a practical and efficient device for perfecting the variousphases of the skill or art of hitting and in carrying out the aforecitedphilosophy of hitting.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the inventionherein disclosed is well calculated to fuliill the objects above stated,it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modication,variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fairmeaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

l. In a baseball tee for batting practice, a base plate having a homeplate area formed thereon; at least a pair of adjustable baseball teesadjustably mounted in spaced relation on said base plate on said homeplate area; each of said adjustable baseball tees comprising; anelongated horizontally disposed support bracket; an extensiblevertically disposed ball support member mounted on said support bracketfor supporting a baseball in a selective elevated position above thehome plate area of the base plate, from where it may be struck by abatter; and, means for adjustably securing said support bracket to thehome plate for positioning the ball supporting member in a selectiveposition over the home plate area.

2. The baseball tee for batting practice as defined in claim l, wherein:said elongated horizontally disposed support bracket comprises anelongated bar having a longitudinally extended slot formed therethroughand said means for adjustably securing said support bracket to said baseplate includes a bolt having the lower end fixed in the base plate andthe upper end threaded and extended upwardly through said slot, and awing nut mounted on the upper threaded end for engaging the bracket toreleasably secure it to the base plate.

3. The baseball tee for batting practice as defined in claim 1, wherein:said baseball supporting member comprises, a plurality of telescopicadjustably connected tubes including at least a bottom tube, anintermediatte tube, and an upper tube, the lower end of the bottom tubebeing xed to the support bracket and the upper end of the upper tubehaving a baseball supporting seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Auffi-

1. IN A BASEBALL TEE FOR BATTING PRACTICE, A BASE PLATE HAVING A HOMEPLATE AREA FORMED THEREON; AT LEAST A PAIR OF ADJUSTABLE BASEBALL TEESADJUSTABLY MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATION ON SAID BASE PLATE ON SAID HOMEPLATE AREA; EACH OF SAID ADJUSTABLE BASEBALL TEES COMPRISING; ANELONGATED HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED SUPPORT BRACKET; AN EXTENSIBLEVERTICALLY DISPOSED BALL SUPPORT MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT BRACKETFOR SUPPORTING A BASEBALL IN A SELECTIVE ELEVATED POSITION ABOVE THEHOME PLATE AREA OF THE BASE PLATE, FROM WHERE IT MAY BE STRUCK BY ABATTER; AND, MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY SECURING SAID SUPPORT BRACKET TO THEHOME PLATE FOR POSITIONING THE BALL SUPPORTING MEMBER IN A SELECTIVEPOSITION OVER THE HOME PLATE AREA.